Halo 4: The Way It Should Be

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What are the next Halo game's must-have features? We debate the future of the franchise.

By IGN Xbox 360 Team

When Bungie announced in August that it was parting ways with Microsoft to return to its independent roots, Halo fans everywhere had a collective panic attack. What would become of the Halo universe that Bungie had so painstakingly cultivated over the past decade? Would Master Chief be destined to forever float frozen in space?

This year's E3 promised to clear up the confusion once and for all when Bungie slapped a teaser countdown on its Website assuring fans that something big was in the works. But it wasn't to be, and Halo's E3 absence left a gaping hole in Microsoft's presence at the show.

Then the Official Xbox Magazine dropped a megaton rumor: Independent developer Gearbox Software, makers of the Brothers in Arms series and the upcoming Borderlands shooter, is reportedly working on the next Halo game. Studio head Randy Pitchford has confirmed that his company is working on a massive unannounced project, but Gearbox has stopped short of confirming the Halo rumors.

If it's true, Gearbox has taken on the biggest challenge since The Flood came to town. Halo is one of the most beloved franchises in videogame history, and its fans are notoriously rabid about their favorite series. What would a "Halo 4" from Gearbox look like? How should it feel? Where and when should it take place? What role should Master Chief play? They aren't easy questions, and there are no simple answers, but the IGN Xbox Team is up to the task. We've debated the pros and cons of three major aspects of a possible Gearbox Halo game -- story, gameplay and online multiplayer -- and recorded the results of our arguments below. What should Gearbox do with the Halo legacy (spoiler alert)? Depends on who you ask.

Storyline

Hilary Goldstein: Master Chief is the face (helmet?) of the Halo franchise. Despite never showing his face, Master Chief has struck a chord with gamers. He drives the Halo series as much as the fast-paced gameplay. If you take out playing as Chief, you might as well call it something other than Halo. And if it's not Halo, then why are we even talking about this at all?

The simple fact is that Master Chief is the perfect protagonist for the Halo storyline. He is a hero of the moment, not bogged down with a deep backstory or any significant relationships other than that of his AI companion, Cortana. Master Chief fits the style of gameplay perfectly and his faceless heroism allows gamers to flesh out any missing components of his personality and background in their own heads. Gamers have an ownership of Master Chief, which is one reason why the community is so strong and the franchise is so popular.

What does the future hold?

Let's not forget that Halo 2 put Master Chief on part-time duty. While some were fans of the alternating storyline between Chief and the Arbiter, most found it disconcerting. The Arbiter sections weren't as thrilling as those with Master Chief. Was this because the gameplay drastically changed? No. It's because Chief is a character that, for whatever reason, we've come to identify with. So if you have a character gamers have a stake in, it makes little sense to keep him out of Halo 4. If Chief isn't playable, it's hard to imagine the next Halo equaling the success of the previous titles.

And if Halo 4 really is a launch title for the next Xbox system, imagine the hype that could be drummed up with commercials stating, "He's back." Or "Start a new fight." The Xbox and Master Chief are a perfect pairing. Separating the two makes no business sense. And it would sure piss a lot of folks off.

Ryan Geddes: Another FPS starring Helmet Head? Old. The Master Chief of Halos 1-3 is one of the blandest characters in gaming, and that's a shame, because the Halo universe is actually fascinating. With so much at stake for humanity, there are some compelling stories to be told by turning the people of the Halo world into living, breathing characters. So unless Gearbox is prepared to go behind the helmet and dig deep into Chief's identity, why bother?

Rather than take over right where Halo 3 left off, the next Halo game should go backward, to a simpler time when humans had just colonized the Outer Colonies and the UNSC forces, already stretched thin by civil war, were becoming involved in fierce skirmishes with the first Covenant forces. Over the years, the Halo games have become abstract, large-scale affairs with grand but somewhat soulless storylines. Gearbox could play to its strengths by focusing on a group of well-developed characters, buoyed by top-notch writing.

Master Chief is iconic, and the limbo he's left in at the end of Halo 3 must eventually be revisited. But there's plenty of time to come back to that a couple games down the line. What the series needs now is a look back at what started this whole mess in the first place, and what humanity faced when the Covenant threat first reared its ugly head.

If Master Chief must be a part of the next Halo game -- and Hil makes a strong argument for that -- then he needs a face. If Gearbox chooses to take over where Bungie left off, then the MJOLNIR armor needs to come off, and Chief needs a voice. It would be a controversial move, but it would inject new life into a franchise that needs it.